The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-07-29
ItRmATT AND THE MATIFRaoRN,

L.
Gothard, with their snowy peaks and
seas al lee, are well known Stav-at-hone
p'ppl" Who have never been across the
Atlantic are familiar with them, though
the medium Of books, pictures, and pho
togrGpns and travellers and tourists by
scores of hundreds Chamber up their sides
oi whom a few, more agile daring or
iool-harty than the others. scale their
lpitlcSt peaks But IL tourists or travel
lcrs wish 10 behold the widest and most
gigantic scenery in Switzerland, let them
wander through the Canton of Valais-
N"her0 the swim Rhone cleaycs his way be-
Heights that appear sS lovers who have parted
IN hate, whose mining depths 50 intervene
That they can meet no more, though broken
There, amid mighty peaks, passes, and
glaciers, among scenes of primitive civil
cation, and in view of desert places.
where no one comes or hath come since
the making Of the world" they will see
all the varied forms of nature dcveloped
10 the utmost, and will meet with con
traSts sharper than occur in anv other
portion of the globe. The fcrvent warmth
OF Italy Is side by side with the eternal
frost oi the polar regions the ardent vine
and the Oriental peach grow side by side
with tirS and larCheS, and all tht. four
seasons of the year may be found prevail
ing 1T one and the same time within the
limits of single parish.
Strange 10 say, this land Of wonders
has only of late been admitted TO a place
IN the programme Of Alpine travellers.
One reason for this delay may have been
that the chief elements which form the
Canton Of NalaIs are rock, snow. and
glaciers, and as these occupy nearly nine
teuths OF Us area, there is but little space
left for those sunny spots OF gold and
greenery 50 refreshing to the wearied
ewes, where the Vine-leavcs climb and
cling, and tho curnfields wave This Can
ton has been described as an immense
trough, seventy miles in length one and
hall miles in depth and two miles wide
al the bottom; the mountains on each
side are among the highest in Europe,
and II Is exposed Ia furious torrents and
destructive avalanches. The Rhone has
shown itself 4 very faithless friend,
through long centuries IL has Commit
tel the widest rayages, flooding the fields
and villages Of Upper Nalais. and de-
StroyIng human hIbitations bv the thOus-
and. In remote situation IT the head
OF the valley OF the Nisp, a feeder of the
upper Rhone, is the hamlet Of Zermatt.
whose name will be searched for vaiuIv
IN gazetteerS and geographical dictiona-
rles, but it Is now better known, having
become a popular resort of tourists drawn
thIther by the grandeur and sublimitv of
Mont Cervin, or the Matterhorn, from
which It is distant about nine miles.
SauSSure, the celebrated Swiss physicist
and geolOgist, and one OF the first travel
lers that ever stood on the summit Of
Mont Blanc, writes thus of his arrival in
Zermatt: "Wc had the greatest difficult
" in finding house where they would
take us in ; and the cure, who sometimes
lodges travellers, sent us word that he
would not sell us anything" SauSsure
found himself obliged TO have recourse to
violent measures in order TO procure 4
lodging for the night from a peasant.
This occurred in l76S, but in lS39 travel
lcrs were introduced To gentleman who
had enlarged and arranged his house ex-
pre~Sly Tor the accommodation Of rcspec-
table wayiarcrs. Subsequently one good
hotel, 70 be shortly followed by others.
developed out OF the original private
establishment.
From the valley OF Zermatt the base of
the MatJerhOrn is seen at its narrowest.
and its ridges and faces seem to be OF
prodigiOus steepness. The peak of this
mountain Is nearly 1900 ieet in height;
and rises abruptly by series OF cliffs,
which may properly he termed preci-
pices, \ clear 51DD feet above the glaciers
which surround its base. 1T was the last
great Alpine peak which remained un-
scaled" writes Edward Whvmper, "Iess
ON account Of the difficulty of doing so.
than from the terror inspired by its in
vincible appearance. There seemed TO
be a GORDON drawn around il up TO which
one might 20, but no further. The super
stitiouS natives IN the surrounding val
leys, many Of whom still firmly believe II
not only 10 be the highest mountain in
the Alps but IN the world, spoke of a
ruined city on Its summit, where the
spirits dwell and IL you laughed, they
g-avely shook their heads; told you to
look yourself 10 see the castles and the
walls, and warned one AGAINST 4 rash ap-
prp3Ch, lest the infUriate demons from
their impre-uahle heights might hurl
down vengeance for ones derision." Al
ter many unsuccessful attempts by many
expert, to reach the peak Of the Matter
horn, the feat was accomplished bv Ed
warl Nhymper and his party, who
started from Zermatt on the 18th of JULY
1850, and reached he summit on the
forenoon of the following day The
atmosphere was perfectly still and free
from all clouds and vapOrs. Mountains
fifty-nay, a hundred-miles of looked
sharp and near ridge and crag, snow
and glacier, stood out with iaultless def
uitiOn.' On their descent the snowy
Alpine wastes claimed their tribute OF
victims. OF the four that constituted Mr..
WhvmPer's party, he alone was left TO